Two cars in Vernon ditches a reminder to slow down in heavy rain: RCMP

Charlotte Helston

Image Credit: Shutterstock

September 14, 2015 - 2:35 PM

VERNON - The weather contributed to two separate accidents on Highway 97 earlier this month.

The first happened just before 6 a.m. on Sept. 8 when a vehicle hydroplaned near Bailey Road and went off the road into the ditch. The male driver and lone occupant walked away with minor injuries, but the car was extensively damaged, RCMP Const. Jocelyn Noseworthy says.

“Weather was a contributing factor,” Noseworthy says. “It was raining cats and dogs that day.”

A couple hours later, police responded to a similar accident, in almost the same exact place. About 8 a.m. a woman driving southbound on Highway 97 near Bailey Road began to hydroplane and lost control. She also ended up in the ditch. Damage to her vehicle was extensive, but she escaped the accident with only minor injuries. Again, weather is considered a factor, Noseworthy says.

“The only thing we can do is remind people… just because it says 90 km/h doesn’t mean you should necessarily be going 90 km/h,” she says. “You need to drive in accordance with the conditions themselves, and if it’s like that (rainy), you need to slow down.”

To contact the reporter for this story, email Charlotte Helston at chelston@infonews.ca or call 250-309-5230. To contact the editor, email mjones@infonews.ca or call 250-718-2724.

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